(Newser)
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In one of 23 such instances recently, an American Airlines pilot told CNN that troubles with the landing gear in his Boeing MD-80 forced him to return to Minneapolis moments after takeoff in December. Problems with the gear knocked out the anti-icing system in the plane, which is at the center of wiring issues that have forced American to cancel more than 1,000 flights the past two days.

Pilot Sam Mayer got the plane back to ground quickly, realizing the failure had turned the plane into a “popsicle.” Mayer says there was potential for catastrophe, “no doubt about it.” An airline spokesman told CNN today it has “identified the root causes of the problems and fixed them,” though thousands of passengers remain stranded.